A case of primary breast tuberculosis at a United Kingdom district general hospital

Introduction: tuberculosis (tb) is a condition that mostly affects the lungs but any organ can be affected as a result of hematogenous spread. Although global prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been estimated as high as 1.86 billion people; breast tb is a rare disease accounting for only 0.1% of all known breast disease. Data from the United Kingdom is limited however one survey of british-Asian woman showed that breast tb accounted for 2.3% of all notified cases of tuberculosis. clinically and radiologically breast tb can mimic both breast carcinoma and breast abscess; which often makes it a difficult diagnosis to make. case report: We present a 28-year-old Asian woman with a twomonth history of an enlarging breast lump. the firm but fluctuant lump was adherent to the chest wall. MrI scan confirmed a 58-mm cystic structure deep to pectoralis muscle, and extending into the thorax. subsequent testing revealed this to be a case of mammary tuberculosis. Although extra-pulmonary tuberculosis is uncommon; numerous cases of breast tuberculosis have been reported in south Asia. One should also be aware of other possible diagnoses such as carcinoma or sarcoma. conclusion: Whilst being a very rare